This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee approved a bill that would allow smaller populated counties to create a sales tax option for the purchase and preservation of open space and recreation facilities.
House Bill 152, sponsored by Rep. Craig Buttars, R-Lewiston, will allow Box Elder, Cache, Morgan, Sanpete, Summit and Tooele counties to seek sales tax revenue to protect farms and other critical lands as they continue to grow.
"One of our main concerns is that we want to maintain open space," said Smithfield Mayor Ray Winn.
"We believe this bill is very favorable to agriculture and the community."
Buttars amended his bill to exclude larger counties, such as those along the Wasatch Front, from eligibility.
Those more populous counties "have been heavily developed and don't have much agricultural land," he said.
"They also have other sources of funding."
